


A wheel that shall not stop

by Karambol



Category: Brave 10
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - School, Alternative Unverse, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, M/M, OC, Some OOC, alternative unverse reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-23
Packaged: 2021-03-27 17:34:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30126372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karambol/pseuds/Karambol
Summary: They don’t remember each other, yet somehow managed to end in the same place at the same time, in a new life.Destiny is now much tender and nice, yet some spirit scars seems to prevail in their souls-even thou they can not understand them properly. But for now, let em be what they have to be: children, youngsters, free (by now) of the wheel...IMPORTANT: Written in English by a non English native speaker, so please be patient and understanding if any grammatical mistake appears. Feel free to correct me!
Relationships: Kirigakure Saizou & Yuri Kamanosuke, Kirigakure Saizou/Yuri Kamanosuke





	1. 1-Watch and learn

**Author's Note:**

> No one is gonna write that school-highschool-flatmate au collection about this dead fandom? FINE! I'LL DO IT MYSELF
> 
> [Curious, tho, how many AU fics are in this site about these two... guess classmates and flatmates is a thing works way too good with these]  
> Major AU universe. Related one shots about the life of some of the Sanada Braves, now reunited in their reencarnation. Minor mention to this issue, more school-highschool-flatmates AU. Not mention to any event of the manga BRAVE10 or BRAVE10-S. Might be some personal issues, problems, etc. but since they are not the same as in the events of the manga, some OoC may occur. 
> 
> Mainly SaiKama ship.
> 
> Ep1 based on the otp promt: Watch and learn.

**_Note: In this chapter, they are in the gap of 12-13 years old. Forgive em for being young and childish. Let the ninja fights for the grown ups of the Sengoku period..._ **

**_Point!_ **

Kamanosuke had almost no breath, but it was worth the effort. His lungs hurt and he knew he would have muscle aches after that (he was way to impatient to warm up properly) but he was sure that would pay off. His team was winning and that-now that was the important thing, even if it was just a volley match for the next hour of PE. He couldn’t wait to play dodgeball next time. He already had some bruises in his knees and hands, but he wasn’t afraid to fall – even more, he stand up more eager and ready for more.

“Now, how was that?” he screamed, very proud of himself. All his teammates as well the other team’s were tired, and would not have even a breath of air to say anything. The energy and stamina of that child was beyond any of them.

 _If only he had more class_ … he would beat em at anything, but God does not have a favorite, after all. At least, not him.

“Have you seen that?” he screamed to Saizo. Unlike him, he was just playing because they told him to. Not like he despised that sport, yet was unwilling to spent every single cell of his body for a PE game.

“Uh? See what?” he said calmly. He actually saw his friend score a few good points, yet knew that by pretending to not noticing him (difficult, for the redhead was _noisy_ ) made Kamanosuke really mad.

“What? You haven’t seen it? Geez, you are really missing something great here?” Yuri said with a mix of anger and challenge. “Trying so hard to hit the ball, Kirigakure? Would you rather have a beach ball?”

 _Oh, so that was it._ Saizo frowned, for Kamanosuke never used his surname but to make fun of him. In other situations, Saizo wouldn’t follow. In class, Kamanosuke was average enough to hardly pass the tests – Saizo had not to make an effort to do better. In popularity, even thou both of them were not the most talkative nor nicer kids, it was easy for Saizo to at least not scare the others students away, for some even said Kamanosuke could bite you.

Yet, at sports… well, that was another thing. That brat had energy enough to tire up a whole professional team. 

With a smirk, Saizo approached and took the volley ball in his hands.

“I don’t have to see anything that is not _remarkable_ at all, Yuri” he said in the same challenging way. “If you actually played good enough, I would have noticed you”.

The redhead’s cheeks turned red, maybe of anger or embarrassment. Saizo had to admit to himself that when Yuri was down guard, he was really cute. These moments, these seconds of quiet anger or shyness where worthy some discussions.

“Well, look who says that!” Yuri shouted, grabbing Saizo by her t-shirt. Saizo wasn’t scared at all, for he knew it was a way of trying to assert some dominance. “You think you can do better? I didn’t hear anyone cheering at all…!”

Saizo slaped Yuri’s hand and grunt.

“Very well, you asked for it” then, he pounted to the other side of the sports court. “I bet you I can throw it so hard it gets to the end of the court”

“Oooh, you wanna bet? Fine! Lunch, it is.”

“Great. I love that onigiri your sister makes*”

“The only thing you will eat is dirt! But who knows, I might let you kiss my shoes…”

Saizo laughed. He could feel his own confidence flowing down his veins, his spine, his body. He knew he could do it.

“Now” said “watch and learn, pretender”.

He throw the ball high in the air, ready to hit it, eyes following the movement, the arm ready and tense. It was fast.

Yet, the ball didn’t make it to the floor, for with the force of the hit, it went directly to the PE teacher’s head.

“Holy sh-…” Kamanosuke could not stop the sentence. Saizo was frozen, as they both (and all the other students) saw the teacher fell into the floor, blood flooding from his nose.

There was two seconds of tense silence.

_What have I do-_

“Run, Saizo, run!” Kamanosuke screamed, starting the retreat. In other circumstances, maybe older, maybe stronger, maybe just smarter, Saizo would not follow. And why was Kamanosuke running, too? It was so stupid.

But he was only a child. So they both run away.

*

“I really hope this is the first **and** the last time you do something like this” the headmaster, Yukimura Sanada, scolded. Still, in his face there was the smile of someone who really loved his job, for it allowed him to always have some fun. Where else could he get such stories? He was earning some money too, so… 

“Sorry…” said Saizo, not willing to look at the headmaster.

“How about you, young lad?” the headmaster asked Kamanosuke.

“What about me? I wasn’t the murderer” he protested.

“You were the instigator!” shout Saizo.

“What a lie!”

“Calm down you two! Murder is a very strong word, Yuri!”

“Yet it wasn’t me…”

Sanada couldn’t help to laugh.

“Okay, you two! Now listen: no more head shots to any of your teachers or classmates, and no more running away like criminals. Next time, I’ll make you both clean the toilets of the whole school, am I clear enough?”

Both kids nodded. The headmaster pointed the door and they both walked away, yet to shy to say anything for the few first minutes.

“Jesus, I hope they don’t grow up way too fast” the headmaster sighed.

*

“So” after a few moments, Kamanosuke said “what do you have for lunch?”

Saizo looked at his friend with an angry face.

“What do you mean _what do I have?_ ”

“Well, the ball didn’t make it to the other side of the court, soooo…”

“Bullshit! It would, but the teacher was in the way!”

Kamanosuke laughed, showing a cheerful smile, cheeks blushed.

“Now, now! That sounds like something **_I_** would say! But I was right! I’m not the murderer then, uh? Look who just confessed…”

Saizo didn’t say anything, but sighed with a soft smile.

“We could share, if you want. But don’t ask for more than that”

Kamanosuke cursed and protested. How could someone who was so cute had such temper? What was he watching on the TV? Didn’t his parents scold him? Then, he said:

“Fineee. But you can’t have more than one onigiri”.

“Wasn’t planning on give you much either...”

“Don’t worry! I´m planning on winning next lunch. You’ll se who is the pretender then…”

Saizo sighed, but nodded anyways.

“Sure…if you want to bet and lose your lunch, I’m always on it”.


	2. 2-Alone in the dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What does it take a school trip to be a great school trip? A ghost story, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahaha. The title is just a joke, a reference to the game.  
> Actually, this chapter is quite long, I didn't even expected it. And I discovered Google Docs helps me with the grammar, that's a good thing.
> 
> Our beloves tiny braves are in a school trip, but the headmaster, Mr. Sanada, wants to have some fun with some scary stories...
> 
> Oopsie! I corrected some mistakes. You see, I usually write the stories by pieces, so sometimes I go straight to action and two days later I write the beggining...I'm such a mess, but it works for me. Ha...

_It is said that, in that building, there is a monster._

_Is more complex than that, for how it was created is a cruel tale._

_You see, this used to be a peaceful beach, once. With a beautiful forest nearby, clean sky, and deep blue sea. The ocean would sing the song of its depths._

_It was a group of ten, more or less. It was just a beach trip for the weekend and they all were very excited. They ate delicious food, swam in the sea, looked at the stars and, why not...watched the female members of the party wear nice swimsuits. Everything was fine and no one suspected a thing._

_Out of nowhere, one of the members of the gang decided to prank one of his friends. He schemed with the others so they could all play along and make the prank even better. They decided to prank him with the apparition of a monster, or a ghost, or something like that… as I say, it’s an old story. They planned to hide in the closet and scare him with some kind of cheap, improvised costume made with leaves and blankets._

_And there, in the place they were to spend the night, a terrible scream. The prank was a success and this member ran in the forest. All the other nine were delighted and laughed. But then, an hour passed. And two. And three… and the tenth member wasn’t back yet. Worried, they went to look for it, but he was nowhere to find. Now, they all were scared. They asked each other what they did to scare their mate that way, but, what a surprise...no one was in the closet when the scream broke the silence of the night. So, who was the one who saw their friends last? They went back to the bungalow to look for a phone and call the police… but there was no signal. Suddenly, someone said that someone was sleeping in their dorm. They all believed it was their friend, who sneaked in the room for some quiet and peace, quite angry with them to the point of not willing to speak to them. His roommates slept outside, for it was warm and a thin blanket was enough._

_The very next morning… The bed was empty. Not even a wrinkle in the blankets nor in the pillow. Their friend was nowhere to be found. One of the other members said that that same night they heard the wind blow in a strange way, like they could hear a strange cry._

_Their friend was nowhere to be found that day. No matter the sunlight, it was impossible to find. Now all the group was sad and angry in the building, crying and trying to figure it out. They decided some of them should leave, and tell the police. The others would spend the night there._

_And so it was. That time, the missing member’s roommates slept in that room. And then…_

_Crack. Crack._

_The howling sound of the wind and something...something scratching a surface...wood, maybe? the floor? They thought it were the branches of a tree against the window… but there was no tree nearby. Then, they noticed something… the doorknob of the closet started to move… the door opened… and in the darkness, they saw the glow of two cruel, scarlet eyes…and..._

“ **BOOH**!”

“AAAAH”

The children screamed at the same time, breaking the blessing silence of the night. The flames of the fire made the shadows of the headmaster’s face made him look like a demon, as he finished to tell the story. The other two teachers, Kakei and Rokuro, tried to calm down all the students, but most of them were panicking very hard.

That wasn’t the best story to tell when they all were on a school trip. Furthermore, it was the very first night and they were close to the sea (all matching elements), and the two adults (Mr. Sanada did **not** count as one) knew that now no kid was gonna be able to sleep. Even if some of them remained calm, the paranoia would spread easily to the other classmates.

“I don’t wanna sleep in a bedroom with a closet!” screamed one student.

“Me neither!”

“Why is the monster in the closet?” cried another one.

“That’s a very personal question…” said Mr. Sanada, yet no student could understand him-nor hear him, for they all were just panicking. Some groups even gathered together, not wanting to be left alone or far from the protective light of the campfire. Mr. Sanada was, indeed, quite amused, for he thought thirteen years old teenagers were more difficult to scare, but as he could see, they were just children pretending to be grownups. 

“But come on, come one” the headmaster said, cheerly. The students actually paid attention to him, like expecting some kind of ending in the story that would allow them to sleep safely. “That happened years ago. It 's just a story. No need to be scared. Also, it’s well known that monsters don’t eat that much” he explained. “One soul can satisfy them for centuries, indeed”. It was a lie, but for some reason, he couldn’t stop it. He just wanted to have something to amuse himself for the rest of the weekend. He was just a big boy, after all.

“So” Kamanosuke questioned “we are actually safe, right?”

“Yeah, no reason to be on guard” Ana said. Sasuke, Kamanosuke and even Saizo were close to her, for the three boys knew she would be the better at kicking monster’s asses. They just...accepted, that kind of truth.

“Well…” Mr. Sanada shrugged. “The story is old, indeed… but I can’t tell the exact date. Who knows. It’s always better to be prepared and ready. We are only humans and we can only ask to not find any kind of creature. The chances are small...yet…”

There was a tense silence. Mr. Sanada could feel the fear roaming through the student’s spine. 

_Who knows….who knows….maybe that monster will be satisfied once again...soon…_

*

The students were reluctant to go back to the building. It was somehow reformed, and there was hot water, wi-fi and AC, all the bathrooms and the kitchen worked just fine. But the children were somehow scared. They all were sleeping in the first floor* (note: ground floor)*, and for they all knew, the second one was empty, for they were the only class to go on that trip. The lights of that floor were shut, and no matter how lively was the first floor, with lights, music and laughter, there was _something_ in that second, dark floor that gave the kids creeps. Some of them were clearly concerned, such as Sasuke, who didn’t like strong emotions and just wanted to have a nice weekend in nature. Others were as calm as possible, like Ana, who seemed to be ready to kick some ass. In fact, her roommates were close to her, expecting her to protect her, and even other girls were trying to negotiate so she could be in their bedroom instead. 

Others were...well. Too confident.

“You are all making such a fuss out of nowhere” Kamanosuke said while returning to the building. “If there was a monster in the closet, I don’t think it would stand a chance against me.”

“You? Against you?” a classmate laughed. “C’mon, Yuri. You are made of thin straw. A cat could beat you”

“Is that so? You think you can go against me?” the redhead challenged. Sasuke tried to keep him out of the discussion by grabbing him by the arm, but it was too late. Kamanosuke loved challenges. 

“With my eyes closed, brat”

“Uuuh, you go so brave and all but I’m sure you can’t go to the second floor”.

There was a tense silence. The student seemed nervous.

“Uh, well… how about you? Is not like you were brave enough to check it, too”.

“Oh, yeah? Well, I will go!” Kamanosuke shouted. It was too late to be reasonable, he noticed, but he was no coward. 

The others students actually shut up. Sasuke was whispering something like _nooo, don’t go._ Ana was amused, yet somehow sad. After all, maybe she was the only one everyone counted on to be brave enough to go and tear apart anyone. The fact that no one challenged her made her feel out of league. 

“Uh, eh...very well, Yuri!” said the student. “And we can bet!”

“As you wish, big boy. You’ll pay me lunch for a week”.

“And you’ll bring _me_ lunch for a week!” laughed the boy. Then, he said “Those onigiris your sister makes really look delicious…”

_But what the heck is going on with my sister’s onigiris?_

“Fine! You will be eating thin air and dirt, I’m telling you! And all of you!” Yuri pointed to the rest of the students and smiled widely. “You are nothing but cowards! You will see what is to be really **brave**!”

And so, he went to that dark, empty floor…

*

One of the reasons Kamanosuke actually managed to go to that dark, empty floor was mainly because Saizo wasn’t there to stop it. He was just finishing helping the teachers to organize some stuff, so he missed all the drama. The dorms were silent and for sure most of the students were in their rooms, sleeping, playing cards or chatting. He only knew about it when he was back to the room, and saw Sasuke with a pocket knife.

“Sweet Buda, what is that?”

“it 's Kamanosuke’s!” Sasuke explained.

“Why do you have...why _does_ he have a pocket knife?” Saizo asked. He looked around the room. “He is not in the closet trying to scare me, isn’t he?”

“Uh...no exactly”

Saizo knew something was happening.

“Ok, now, where is he?”

Sasuke pointed to the ceiling, and even Saizo felt some shivering down his spine.

“What the hell is he doing in there?”

“Well, they had a bet with another guy… and he went upstairs to check for the ghost…”

It was so stupid.

Ghosts weren’t real. It was childish, and stupid.

And Saizo was only thirteen years old, so actually the logic only applied at a 50%. The other 50% of his mind was terrified.

“Ok, hang in there! I’ll go and check on him!”

Sasuke whispered _good luck, I’ll miss you both_ , but Saizo was already out. 

*

_Creak. Creak._

Damn, the wood parquet on that floor was old. And noisy. It gave Kamanosuke creeps. 

It was dark and only the pale light of the moon illuminated the hallways. Kamanosuke was way too scared anyway to try and look for a light switch. He was brave enough to check two dorm doors, and after seeing that no one would open, he just came to the conclusion that there was no door open. But somehow, he kept moving.

_Creak, creak creak._

What was that? The floor? The wind? He stopped.

_Creak._

A shadow at his back...and…

“Hey!”

“Gyah!”

“Hush! What is that screaming?” Saizo asked, quite surprised. It was like Kamanosuke just saw a…. 

_Don’t say it don’t say it don’tsayit_ **_dnsayudsaddsf…_ **

**_Ghost._ **

“You scared me! Why are you walking in the dark and so sneaky? Wanna give me a heart attack!?”

“You are way too young for heart attacks,” Saizo replied. “Sasuke told me you went upstairs” explained. “Uh… I thought it was imprudent, so I came here to check on you”.

“Uh…” there was an awkward silence. 

On one hand, Kamanosuke was very angry, way too much for such a tiny thirteen years old body, as if anger could be measured and that container was way too small (like…a pressure kettle). On the other hand… he was, somehow, relieved. Someone actually worried to check on him.

“Well, I guess you can come with me” said the redhead with pride. Saizo sighed. 

“So, where were you going?”

“Uh…?”

“Were you looking for something?”

“Well...you heard that story, so…”

“Do you really believe that? That there is a monster?” Saizo asked. Actually, he was just asking to reassure his own safety.

“Weeeell…”

That did not help. Saizo gulped. Now, even in his head there were sounds and strange shadows wherever he looked. 

“By the way...Ehm, Yuri…”

“Hm?”

“Do you still have another...you know”

“Another what”

“Another pocket knife”

Kamanosuke snorted. 

“I gave it to Sasuke so he could defend himself. I only had one”

“You did what? Wait, so it's really yours? Why are you carrying a pocket knife anyway?”

“My sister though it was a good idea for me to have a pocket knife for when I came back home from school”

“...And why didn’t you keep the knife against a monster?”

“...I guess I was thinking this was not exactly _coming back home from school…_ ”

Well… that had some logic. Irreasonal logic. Saizo didn’t know if he would feel safer with Yuri with a knife.

“Ehm… you know, let’s finish this quickly. There might be some storage closet or room, we check it, see that we can not open it, and go back, Ok?”

“Sure, fine, of course” Kamanosuke was eager to go back to the safety of light.

They walked for a few minutes. _Creak, creak, creak._ The wind howling, and the clouds covering the moon’s light, making the place even darker. 

Then, Kamanosuke whispered something. His voice was so weak, Saizo thought it was the wind against the windows.

“Uh? You said something?” asked. If it was neither Kamanosuke or the wind, then he’d be actually fucked up, he knew.

“Is just…” Kamanosuke murmured. It was so dark, Saizo could not see the blush in Yuri’s face. “Is so fucking dark. I can’t even see where we are going. I don’t wanna fall”

“Go slow, then. Follow my voice”.

“Better not to talk, you know? If the monster…”

There was a tense silence for a moment.

“…c-can I hold your hand?”

Saizo, for a moment, thought it was a ghost’s whisper.

“…What? Did you say something?”.

“…if…h-hand…” Kamanosuke stuttered a bit. “Nothing, I said nothing''.

_He is scared. That’s… cute. Bet he knows he can’t actually beat to death a ghost or a monster._

_I’m no one to serve as an example of courage. Damn. I’m scared, too._

Before he knew, Saizo was stretching his arm, trying to find Kamanosuke’s hand.

“What the…!?”

“Hey, it’s me! Sssh!” Saizo calmed him down. He grabbed him from the wrist, and then took his hand, interlocking their fingers in a steady grip. “Look, we will not get separated that way. If _anything_ tries to pull over any of us, it has to take us both''. Now Saizo felt his own cheeks burn. “Which it will help us to beat it up or save the other. In the story...just one vanished. It will not happen if we stick together. Ok?”

“Eh… yes! That’s a good plan!” Yuri replied. He didn’t sound very convincing, nor was actually a good plan. They both were too embarrassed to actually think. In fact, the monster thing was now less scary than letting the other see their red, blushed faces.

_*_

They advanced in silence, the only safety was their warm hands. They didn’t hear anything strange… until they saw a door at the end of a hallway. 

“We check this hallway, and then go back” said Saizo. “We don’t even have to get close to that door. No one's gonna check if we did open it anyway”

Kamanosuke agreed with a nod. He was even walking a little bit slower, so Saizo could take the lead (and the damage…)**

They were just a few metres away from the last door, when…

 _Creak_.

They both stopped. They felt their hearts stopped.

_Creeeeaaaaak._

“Sssh. Is the floor” said Saizo. But they were still, and the sound….

_Crre…_

The door was moving. Something, like a horrible scratching, against the surface of the door. And then…

It opened.

“AAAAAAH!”

They both run away in screams and panic-luckily for Saizo, Kamanosuke more in panic and loudly than him. They didn’t saw properly what the f@#~ was that, nor they wanted to discover it. Still holding hands, they ran as fast as they could, until the light of the first floor gave them the fake sensation of safety and protection.

*

“T-there was something in the closet!” Kamanosuke screamed, in pure panic. He didn’t even wait to join the students he made the bet with, just made the statement. Some other kids looked at him and, seeing Saizo by the redhead’s side, pale and scared, they all started to panic, too, and began to scream.

“Hey! Hey! What 's going on?” the teachers and headmasters appeared in the hallway. Because of the noise, the students started to come out of their dorms.

“I saw the fucking monster of the closet!” Kamanosuke screamed, ignoring the _Language, young man!_ of his teachers. Now that the adults were there to manage the situation, there was no reason to bear the responsibility anymore, so Yuri’s mind went back to the pure mayhem it usually was. Other students started to scream too, even the chilliest members of the gang (Saizo and Ana) were having difficulties keeping a cool, calm look.

“Oh my god we are going to die!” a girl screamed.

“No! Only if you are blonde! I’ve seen that in terror movies!” said someone.

“Then, Ana goes first!”

“No! It does not work that way!” she replied.

“And why not?”

“Because I’m Russian and if there is a monster here it’s Japanese, so it will only go after Japanese people!”

“What the fuck are you talking about? Do you think they consume **local products** or what?!” screamed Yuri, who somehow got to the conclusion that, by what Ana just said, the choices of being a potential victim increased a LOT.

The teachers watched all the ruckus (the headmaster was on the verge of dying of laughter), expecting the noise to stop, but after two minutes of cries and screams, he couldn’t help himself.

“ENOUGH!” he shouted, and all the children in the hallway shut up, now more scared of the cold eyes of their teacher than any monster in any closet. “Don’t believe such stories and **don’t** make such a fuss of it! There is no one in **any** of the closets!”

“As far as we know, but who knows” Sanada whispered. The cold eyes of Rokuro pierced through his skin as an ice blade, but the kids seemed to not understand the connotation or second meaning. Even worse, Sasuke asked:

“Then there **might** be someone!?”

“No way!”

“Well, it's not me!” screamed Kamanosuke, trying to prove his innocence. “I’m definitely not in the closet!”

“Me neither!” said Saizo, shrugging, trying to keep a cool attitude. “That is a childish thing to do!”

“Ok, so, whoever is the one getting in the closet, is not funny!” said Ana to the other students. “Get out of the fucking closet!”

“Language, kids!” Rokuro shouted. He looked back to Sanada, who had tears of laughter in his eyes. “Look what you just did!”

“Well, good that they have their choices clear at such a young age…”

The rest of the screams were pure manheim. 

“Sasuke! is that a pocket knife?!” 

“Is not mine!”

“Give it to me immediately!”

“No! We might need it!” screamed Ana.

“We need to call an exorcist!”

“This building is built in an old indian burial ground!”

“You idiot! There were no indians in Japan!”

“Don’t mix stories, dumbass!”

“LANGUAGE!”

Crowded with students on the verge of tears, screams and shouts, the gang kept holding hands. Ana holding Sasuke’s, Sasuke holding Saizo’s, Saizo holding Kamanosuke’s. He had a tender and tight grip until silence came slowly back to the pack of students. Kamanosuke and Saizo were the last ones to let it go, for in all those never-ending, tense minutes, they felt a little bit safer knowing the other was holding their hand.

*

In the floor, at the end of the hallway of the second floor, there were a few large sacks of wood. Rokuro sighed.

“Now, here is your monster, kids. It was just some wood. The owner piled them here and it opened the door by its weight”.

Some students relaxed immediately, yet others were not so sure. Rokuro even opened the door of the closet a few times. The doorknob was so old that it was no use for keeping the door closed, and the wood was so dry that it made a terrible cracking noise against the surface. It was about to fall in any minute, and it just happened when Saizo and Yuri were investigating.

“C’mon, boys, help me out” asked Mr. Kakei, taking some wood. “We’ll use it tomorrow for another bonfire on the beach, and we’ll take another sack to the store behind the building”.

At first they were quite unsure about it, but as soon as all the wood was taken, they all could see that the closet was, indeed, a very ordinary one-even maybe too small to be a monster’s dent. 

*

At the end of such an exciting evening, everyone was very tired. And of course, every group managed to sleep together in the same nest. They joined the beds to make them big enough for three people, and Saizo, Sasuke and Kamanosuke did as well. Just as a precaution, they put a chair blocking their room closet.

“That was dumb” Kamanosuke whispered.

“No, that was scary,” replied Sasuke. 

“I have to agree with Kamanosuke,” said Saizo “it was dumb”.

They kept the conversation that way- dumb, just as what happened. Between the sheets, Saizo felt the warm and soft touch of Kamanosuke’s hand. They both, for a second, didn’t know if to put away their hands, but they instead held them. It wasn’t as tight as before, for now they felt safe and no one was to take any of them away.

“Anyway, that story was bullshit” yawned Kamanosuke, eyes closed. The night seemed a lot warmer now, and it was like sleeping in a nest of feathers.

“Why is that so?”

“Well… the story happened in a bungalow.... This building has two floors, anyway”.

Saizo wanted to laugh, but was way too tired for anything but to smile. 

_Yes, that brat is right…_ he thought, before falling asleep peacefully. 

“And anyway, we do have a pocket knife, so…” Sasuke said, calmly. 

“Shut up, you two. I’ll use it against you both” protested Saizo. 

The wind blowing did sound just as the wind should, and the ocean was singing the song of its depths. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Hahaha, what is that? Why is sometimes first floor and then second? Actually, we have the same issue in Chinese and Russian... that's problematic.  
> ** As if Kamanosuke would actually leave Saizo behind and die. 
> 
> Kudos for the main character: Kamanosuke's sister's onigiris!


	3. 3-Blood boil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is a little burst of anger that made his blood boil. Unwillingly, unknowing-a feeling that was not his, or at least, not that current "he".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :O
> 
> Some angsty boys, angry boys...
> 
> Tiny, tiny boys...
> 
> I wasn't planning on write this, at first. Even funnier, I wrote this before the chapter 2, but I thought it was better to keep the angst for later.  
> I also was drawing some Brave10 fanarts [you can check it in my twitter, @KaramzinovArt ] and thought about in which activities would AU! Saizo participate... I can see him as Kendo club captain... but tiny kendo student Saizo was nice, too. 
> 
> Also, kusarigamajutsu is still a thing, and it's quite cool. Actually, Japan, Korea and Chinese schools have really cool clubs... *sigh*
> 
> Woopsie! Made another corrections, but it's way too late for you to notice. I have the high ground!

He didn’t know how that happened. It just...happened. Screams echoing the sports stadium, the shinai trembling in his hand, and the boiling blood pumping in his chest, in his throat, in his head. 

_How did that happen? How did that happen?_

_How did that…?_

Saizo could feel the eyes looking at him, thousands of judging eyes. Yet, he could only pay attention to one thing -- to the boy on the floor, surrounded by people coming in his help (teachers, students…), hugging his own arm and looking at Saizo with teary, angry and very, _very_ scared eyes. Never in his life Kamanosuke looked at him like that, but could Saizo blame him? After all, Saizo had just...just…

_Hit him with the sword._

_That was supposed to be a point and a new start._

_But I didn’t stop._

_Would that be a wooden one…_

_A_ **_real one_ ** _._

He... he was supposed to make a soft hit. A soft hit. A mere touch in the arm. The moment he dodged that bamboo and plastic kusari in that demonstration at the club, he only had to give a soft hit to declare the point. They would then come back to their own positions and bow for another round. 

But he didn’t.

He instead grabbed the shinai with strength and looked Kamanosuke in the eye, and there He Saw It.

These eyes … it was only for a second, but he saw it. Angry defiance, challenge, _bloodlust_ … a bloodlust which Saizo believed to be impossible in a fourteen years old teenager.

It didn't surprise him, tho, for it filled him with the same anger. The same challenge, the same… _No, no. What have I done?_

The shinai fell to the floor and he rushed into the crowd of people surrounding his friend.

"Kamanosuke! Shit, shit, I'm sorry, I'm so…" he could not say more. He felt a hand in his shoulder, and saw the school headmaster pushing him aside. By his side was the school's doctor.

"Now, now, give the boy some air!" The headmaster shouted. "And you, I want to see you in my office, now" he said, addressing Saizo. The boy wanted to say something but no words came out of his mouth. "And I don't think he wants to see you for now" added, looking at the crying redhead on the floor. 

That spark of anger was gone. Now there was only fear in these green, teary eyes of a fourteen years old boy.

_But what have I done…?_

_*_

"Well, Kirigakure" the headmaster sighed. "What just happened?"

Saizo was sitting in the headmaster's office, and didn't have even a minute to change his uniform. He still had the keiko-gi and the hakama on, but couldn't even pick up the shinai. He knew that in any other situation, his kendo sensei would scold him for leaving the bamboo sword on the floor, but he just... couldn't. The touch was horrible enough and could not bear it.

"I...I don't know, sir" he answered as sincerely as he could. 

Mr. Sanada waited for a few seconds, expecting some words, but Saizo was really speechless.

"You were on good terms lately?" He asked the minor.

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"You two are classmates, right?"

"Uh, yes, sir".

"You also are members of the _koryū_ club, is that true?"

"Well, yes. I do kendo but he only does _kusarigamajutsu_ , so we don't train together that much…"

"I see. And…" Mr. Sanada seemed to think about the next question. "Would you say you are more friends or... rivals?"

Again, Saizo seemed lost, like unable to understand the most simple question.

"Uh?"

"What I'm saying, did you have any fight? Any reason to quarrel? Were you angry with him for something?"

"I… no, sir, no. He is my...he is my friend, Sir" Saizo gulped. "He is my friend" repeated with more confidence. Sanada was looking at him with empathy...yet with judgment. 

"Then why did you attack him like that?"

_What have I done?_

No, maybe that was not the question, but…

_Why I did that?_

Saizo clenched his fists, wrinkling the hakama's cloth. 

"I...I…I just…" he started stuttering, and felt his eyes stinging. _Fuck, what a moment to start crying in front of the headmaster_. "I really don't know! I swear it. It was for a moment. I knew what I had to do. I knew I just had to make contact. It was like my arm moved by itself. But I don't know what happened. I did not want to do it! I would…" he felt the tears burning his cheeks, and washed them away quickly, pretty embarrassed. "I would never hurt my friend. I'm so sorry…"

There was only the sound of the youngster's hiccups for a moment, and the sigh of the headmaster after the kid calmed down.

"That is a horrible excuse and even worse reason, Kirigakure. I want to believe you, but I can't let this situation go unpunished. Hope you understand that."

"I do, sir."

"...well, then. I'll notify your family about this. I'll think about what to do with you" Sanada said, clearly pondering his options. "I think you may go, now."

Saizo nodded and went to the exit. If he was fast enough, he could go to the infirmary and…

"By the way, Kirigakure" Mr. Sanada stopped him "I don't think that checking your friend now is a good idea. He might...you might have way too much on your heads, now. Let him have some rest, would you?"

_What? No. I have to check if he is alright. If he is fine._

_If he is ali-_

What was that? 

"Did you hear me, young lad?"

"Ah...yes, sir. Sorry, sir. Yes, yes… sorry again, sir".

He left the office and though he really wanted to go to the infirmary...his feets could not move.

His mind was stronger and his thoughts were torturing him.

_He doesn't want to see me now, probably._

_Or maybe doesn't want to see me at all._

He left the school as fast as possible. Until the end of the day, his shinai was on the floor.

*

He had terrible nightmares, so terrible Saizo couldn't sleep for the rest of the night. He had something in his hands, heavy and cold, and he was stronger and maybe even taller. It was windy, but he didn't know where he was, for the dust surrounded him in a sandstorm. The only thing he could see was something dark, red, _warm_.

How was he supposed to know it was warm?

Oh, right. Because he knew what it was.

It was **blood**. All over that iron sword, all over the floor, in his hands, in his…

But whose was it?

*

Saizo was surprised to see that it was Kamanosuke who opened the door. It would've been easier if it was his mother or sister, so he could have some seconds to make up an excuse and leave, but now he hadn't that choice.

"Eh, ehm...Hello".

"Oh, it's you…" Yuri said. He sounded a little bit nervous and scared, and that made Saizo feel his heart hurt a little, as if it was punctured with a needle. But it was way worse when he saw Kamanosuke's left arm, wrapped in a cast.

_How hard did I hurt him?_

"Uh, sorry. I didn't want to disturb".

"...then...why are you here?"

Damn it, he felt like a fool.

"I just...I just wanted to check on you," Saizo said in a low voice. "I… I wanted to go after the...uh…" he stuttered, feeling unable to finish nor make up a sentence properly. 

He couldn't look Kamanosuke in the eye, either.

"...uh, want to come in?" The redhead asked.

"Can I?"

"I mean...yeah, sure".

The house was empty, as Saizo figured out by the silence of it.

"Where are your parents?"

"They're out…"

"I do remember your sister… she isn't here?"

"Hm...no. Sorry, do you want something to drink?"

"Ehm...no, I'm fine"

The conversation was incredibly awkward, for Saizo never expected such cautious courtesy from Kamanosuke. It made him feel like they were strangers instead of …

_Wait, are we still friends?_

"Uhm, how...how are you doing? With your…" Saizo pointed the arm, but wished not to do so. Kamanosuke looked at his cast.

"Ah, this? Well, is not that bad actually. It hurts, but Mr. Unno said the bone and muscle were practically fine. There's a nice bruise, tho… yet it seems I can't make sudden movements and they asked me to stay calm and have some rest" Kamanosuke said. He actually seemed very eager to talk about any injuries he had, and that relaxed Saizo a little. There was not a single drop of resentment in his voice, he noticed, but he couldn't tell if he did not feel that way.

"I am...uh...I came to apologize, Kamanosuke. I'm really, really sorry. I don't know what happened. I don't know why it happened. I just wanted to make a simple hit, but…"

"For a moment, you were angry," said Kamanosuke.

_Yes. That is it._

"Yes, but how do you…? I mean...I'm not angry at you, or at least I wasn't at that moment, nor I could be that angry...how…?"

Kamanosuke seemed equally puzzled and confused while trying to look for the words to put it.

"I felt angry, too. For a second. It was very brief, but I felt like it wasn't a bamboo kusari nor a bamboo shinai. I don't know where it came from. I just know I was angry...and then, I was on the floor and I was, uh…"

_Hurt. Scared._

They both keep quiet for a moment, sitting on the living room sofa, one in front of the other, unable to look each other in the eye.

"I… I guess I have to apologize too?" Yuri said. Saizo was shocked, for he didn't apologize for anything, even when it was his fault. "I think I would've hit you in the face if you hadn't hit me first. And at that moment I thought about...going for the head" he confessed.

There was again an awkward and tense silence. Saizo knew that if Kamanosuke actually would have hit him, a cast in the arm would've been actually the best that could have happened.

"And...and I don't know why!" said Yuri, pretty concerned. 

"Are you angry with me about something?" Saizo asked.

"No! Of course not! Not like that, at least. And even if I was angry, I wouldn't…" he stopped, blushing for a moment. "Are you the one angry with me?"

"What? Nonsense. Even if I have reasons for it, I don't think I'll ever be that angry to even hurt you. I mean… we know each other since we were...ten?"

"Nine, actually"

"For real? Five years already? And do you really think that after all these years I wouldn't learn how to cope with you to the point of not trying to kill you?"

Kamanosuke laughed at these words, and the air seemed to be less tense.

"I wouldn't be that obvious if I tried to kill you" Yuri joked.

"Ok, now that's creepy. I'd rather you not to try to kill me at all"

"I'm just kidding. I think I'll get bored without you around to mess with" the redhead said with a laugh.

 _Yes, I'd be bored too. I'd enjoy quiet and calm days from Monday to Sunday, but then I'll be bored to death,_ thought Saizo.

"I'm really sorry for what happened. I hope you can forgive me"

"Forget about it. Now that I think about it, I'm happy it wasn't me who kicked your ass… you wouldn't be here talking…"

"Don't be so confident about that, brat…".

*

For the rest of the day, they both felt like they were losing some kind of weight. One that they had been dragging for way too, too long… a weight that was somehow frozen in a time, a tiny piece of time of a very concrete moment in someone's lives.

That piece of time fell and was lost forever, for it did not belong to these days, nor these new people.

*

Classes continued as always, and Kamanosuke even complained about the fact that he didn't hurt his dominant hand, for he was still able to do his homework with his right hand. If even there was a moment of tension, it faded away and all that happened in the sports court at the demonstration. The only thing that changed for these two weeks was the fact that the teachers forced Kamanosuke to stay in class and he couldn't join the others in recess or PE classes, and that made the kid go really mad and bored. 

Even though Saizo was forgiven by his friend, he didn't feel quite well for the first few days. He stayed with Yuri at class when everyone else went for lunch. The redhead would steal Saizo's seat, near the window, and would rest his head on the table, letting the spring's sun warm him. It wasn't then the best conversation for Yuri was sleepy like a cat napping in a spring field, yet it lead him to give the most stupid (and entertaining) answers. 

"So, what do you think about a...hmm….pink, pink hakama?" Saizo questioned. He wasn't the best at thinking the stupidest questions, but the answers of Yuri were worthy.

"Hmm...why pink...why a hakama…" Kamanosuke didn't even open his eyes. Under the sun, his red hair had a beautiful golden glow and seemed to be warm as a cat. Saizo was concerned about how easily it was to compare Yuri with a cat. He really wanted to touch that hair and see if it was as warm as it seemed.

"For _koryū_ class, of course. I think it would suit you"

Yuri grunted, still sleepy, and waved his left arm, like he was chasing away a mosquito. 

"Bullshit. Not pink".

Saizo gently grabbed Yuri's left arm. The cast had some drawings and doodles from some classmates. There was a doodle of a ferret with some wings and a carrot in its paws, which made obvious it was Sasuke's doing, and some intricate patterns beautifully done by Ana. Even Kamanosuke used to draw things in there, or even write. There was even a shopping list which included chips and juice, and some annotations about the homework to be done. Saizo picked up a pen from his pencil case.

"Not pink? Then what color?"

"Hmmm...red. Red. That's cool" Yuri yawned. "That would be cool. You'd be wearing the blue hakama and I'd wear the red".

"Actually that could be really cool, yeah" said Saizo. He started to draw something in that cast. He was an awful artist, but it was easy to recognize that he was drawing a kusarigama. 

"Sasuke could be green. And Ana...Ana I don't know"

"I can see Sasuke in green, but...how about white for Ana?"

"Hmm...ok, yes. And yellow"

"No, white and light blue".

"Yes, that suits her. And we... we'd be like the Power Rangers"

Saizo laughed softly. So that was he thinking about? No way he wanted red. That was always the color of the leader.

"And so you'd be the captain?"

"Eh...sure"

"But if you use a kusarigama you can't be the leader. It's always the swordsman" Saizo replied. 

"Aham... whatever".

After finishing the doodle of the scythe and sickle, Saizo kept drawing things. Clovers, stars, clouds.

"You can be second hand. I'd lead the team" said Saizo, expecting Yuri to protest. But he was breathing softly under the sunlight, not listening to him at all. "Ah, jeez. I can give you some leadership, I guess. In a special episode or something…".

Usually, after ten or fifteen minutes under the sun, Kamanosuke would be asleep for the next thirty minutes before classes started again. He was resting so peacefully Saizo couldn't but feel calm and relaxed, too. His pen was running out of ink, so he couldn't draw much in Yuri's cast, but some small stars and hearts… 

Yuri would usually wake up just so see his cast full of random drawings, unaware of who did that, but quite amused. After two weeks, even though he had not to wear the cast anymore, he would allow Sasuke, Ana and Saizo to keep drawing in his skin with pens and markers, for their teachers' concerns. Everything that happened fell into oblivion, and they could only recall it as an unlucky incident. 

*

That angry piece of time was lost forever. The boiling, angry blood disappeared as a speck of dust in the warm, hot wind of summer.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaah, I used to do martial arts when I was younger... then I got fat... and now I want to do kendo...but the only club is so far from my home and the schedule is horrible. Whatever, whatever... 
> 
> I actually just wanted to wear a cool hakama, haha. I'm the worst.

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: *What did I said? A sister? In this AU? Yes, because what’s funnier than an AU? An AU with fake familiars to get em into funny situations. Worry not, she would not appear that much. Maybe in another fic...  
> I might created her because Kamanosuke is so pretty…not having a female version of himself would be a waste, ts ts ts… 
> 
> Other notes:
> 
> Isanami is in Yomi, so neither her human soul nor her goddess soul reincarnates. Goodnight sweet princess.  
> The other all reincarnated, but not all at the same time or period. Here, just some of them are togheter (see Saizo/Sasuke/Kamanosuke/Sanada/Rokuro/Ana).  
> Other characters may be mentioned, as well some OCs.  
> Most of the chapters are based in otp prompts.


End file.
